AN: I wrote the following story in one day, the only editing that was done happened when I typed it up. However, I think it's pretty good, though very angsty. There is yaoi and major cursing (by both of the main characters) in here, and mention of prostitutes and STDs, so, just warning you, not to mention a little bit of lime as well. Sprite anyone?
Also, the disclaimer is at the bottom of this story.
"Secrets of Life"
By Rowan and Sakura
"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." - Jack Penn
Ryou watched sadly as his father was laid to rest. Bakura stood at his side, his arm draped over the younger boy's shoulders. "It'll be alright Ryou. I'm here for you, " he whispered as Ryou began to cry. /I know you're here, but how much longer will we be able to stay alive without food? There's no more money to pay for it. No more. /
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Ryou sat at the computer, web-searching for a job. /There's no job that I qualify for. / he thought desolately. An ad popped up on the screen. /Fuck these ads! As if it's not hard enough looking for a job without these things getting in the way. / Ryou read the ad before clicking it off though. Sometimes they were helpful.
"Looking for a job but don't qualify for any? Well, if you're young, good-looking and broke then come to Alonzo at 696 Sloan Avenue."
/Hmmm, Alonzo eh? /
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Ryou had practically missed the place. The 9 on the door had been upside down, making it 666 instead. Luckily, there was a mailbox with the correct numbering.
Alonzo was a fat, smelly, and dirty old man. The moment he had seen Ryou on his doorstep, he had grabbed him and pulled him inside saying, "Oh pretty pretty. Fetch nice price, yes indeed."
He was now circling Ryou, sometimes touching, sometimes stroking, his white hair. Alonzo reminded Ryou of a hawk examining its prey before going in for the kill.
Finally, Alonzo settled on his desk, facing Ryou. "You know what business I run?" he asked casually while taking out a cigar and lighting it.
"Actually no sir, I don't," Ryou responded honestly.
Alonzo's ears perked up at hearing Ryou's shy, sweet voice. "Oh, such a soft voice, so seductive. Perfect, wonderful!"
"Sir?"
"What, oh, umm, yes well, you see I hire out prostitutes and have decided to hire you.'
"Excuse me? Prostitutes? I'm not really into doing things like that."
"Well you need money don't you?"
"Yes-"
"And you don't qualify for anything, do you?"
"No-"
"Then what else can you do?"
"Nothing," Ryou admitted submissively.
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/I won't tell Bakura. I cannot let him know how low I've sunk for money. He would not understand. / Ryou thought as he mashed the potatoes for dinner.
Bakura strode into the kitchen and slipped his arm around Ryou's waist. Nibbling on the teen's ear he asked, "So, were you successful in your job search?"
"Oh, um, yes. I got the night shift at the shoe store down the street."
"Why the night shift? You'll be dead on your feet at school."
Ryou turned around and looked into Bakura's chocolate brown eyes. "It's not like I haven't stayed up all night before," he said teasingly, smoothing his hands on Bakura's shirtless chest. Bakura shivered with pleasure and began to remove Ryou's shirt. "Tut tut, not until after dinner."
"Oh can't we just skip right to dessert?"
Ryou contemplated that for a second. "All right then. Sounds fine to me," Ryou replied and pushed Bakura into the lounge, but not before grabbing Bakura's favorite knife. Ryou shoved Bakura down onto the inclined chair and straddled his hips with his thighs. With a quick slash from the silver weapon, Ryou ripped his shirt off, revealing fit muscles underneath. He bent towards Bakura and placed his lips on his yami's. Ryou's tongue snaked into Bakura's mouth and explored vigorously, while his hands drew lazy circles on Bakura's abdomen. Bakura's head reeled with sensuous pleasure as his own arms stroked Ryou's bare back.
Ryou pulled away from Bakura at last and picked up the knife. He held it in front of Bakura, two pairs of mahogany eyes locked on its keen, sharp edge. Ryou slowly lowered it to Bakura's belt and cut it in two. Bakura's slightly baggy pants slipped down to his ankles. Ryou then coolly passed the knife to his aibou, who in turn freed the hikari's pants, revealing plain white briefs. Bakura growled impatiently. "Must you always wear those blasted briefs? I'm just going to destroy them, you know."
"I like to frustrate you. Now, are you going to do as you threatened or shall I just do it for you?"
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Ryou trudged sullenly to 696 Sloan Avenue after leaving his latest "customer." /I never knew Otogi hired prostitutes. I hope I never have to work him again. Ugh, it was horrible. We were on different wavelengths, and he knew that. There was no rhythm between us. Not like Bakura and me. / Ryou grimaced. /No, you promised never to think about Bakura on the job! / His mind did not obey him. /Oh, what's he going to say about all these bruises Otogi gave me? /
Alonzo was waiting for Ryou when he arrived, and he was not happy. "Otogi called me the minute you left. He was very unhappy with your performance tonight. What happened?"
Ryou had been working for Alonzo long enough now to know not to expect sympathy or understanding. "I don't know sir. I'll try better next time."
"You'd better! Otogi is one of my best customers and I won't have him getting upset! Understand?"
Ryou hung his head tiredly. "Yessir, I understand.'
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Ryou entered the apartment at 2 am, which was usual for him. What was not normal was Bakura pacing the lounge waiting for him. The yami's face was flushed scarlet. "Bakura?" Ryou asked softly.
Bakura's head snapped up when he heard Ryou. His oak-brown eyes shot darts at him. "You!" he hissed through clenched teeth. Before Ryou knew what was happening, Bakura smacked him across the face, knocking him to the floor.
Ryou lifted his head up shakily to look back up at his angry yami. Touching his cheek gently he whispered, "What was that for?"
"You know damn well what that was for! You- you- bitch!"
"Bitch," Ryou repeated sadly, realizing what Bakura was talking about.
"Fucking me wasn't enough for you was it? You had to go fuck everyone else in Domino who would willingly spread their legs to you also! Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not gonna put up with you fucking me while you fuck everyone else as well. So, I'm outta here! For good! Good-bye bitch!"
/Bakura! Don't leave! You don't understand! / Ryou's mind screamed in agony, but all he could do was watch as Bakura left him, walking out the door and out of his life.
---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---(Ten Years Later)
Bakura had not willingly come to the hospital. However, Yugi was his friend and his yami had been injured so he had tagged along.
As he passed room 696, a white-haired boy woke up. His sad brown eyes saw the mass of snow-colored hair go by his doorway. "Bakura?" he asked in his shy voice.
Bakura froze. He recognized that voice. True, it sounded more ragged than normal, but he would know that voice anywhere. "Ryou?" he breathed.
"Bakura?" Ryou asked, a little bit louder. This time Yugi heard him too.
"Ryou? What are you doing here?" he asked, coming into the room and to the teen's bedside. "Oh Ryou, you look terrible. What's the matter with you?"
"I have pneumonia."
"I had pneumonia once, but I never looked that bad."
Ryou looked to Bakura, who had spoken. Their eyes met, then Ryou looked down to his hands. "Well, I also have AIDS," he whispered inaudibly.
"What did you say Ryou?" Yugi asked.
"I have AIDS as well as pneumonia," he whispered a little bit louder.
Bakura, whose eyes and mind had begun to wander, snapped back to attention. "AIDS? Oh Ryou, you're not going to die are you?"
Ryou looked back up to Bakura, but this time did not turn away. "I didn't think you would care about the health of a bitch," he spat bitterly.
Bakura tried to look nonchalant and carefree, but felt his traitorous eyes fill with tears. "Oh Ryou, don't you know? For all that you broke my heart, I loved you and still do."
"I loved you too," Ryou answered softly. "But I'm glad you left when you did. I didn't get a chance to infect you."
Ryou looked down at his bedcovers and silently started crying. Bakura swooped down to his side in an instant. "Oh Ryou, what's the matter? I'm here now, I won't leave, I promise."
Ryou sobbed harder. "That's the problem," he hiccuped. "I am dying and could have in happiness and peace, knowing that there was nothing keeping me here. But now, with you here, back with me, I don't want to leave this life."
"Who did this to you anyway? Who gave you AIDS?"
"Otogi did. Otogi gave me my AIDS."
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The doorbell rang impatiently. Otogi opened it muttering, "Coming, coming. Just a sec.
"Ah Bakura, What a pleasant surprise! Please come in-" Bakura strode in, closed the door and locked it. "What the?" Otogi asked when Bakura pressed his mouth on the dice master's. He "kissed" him hard and angrily, then wrenched his lips away.
Otogi smiled excitedly. "Oh I see what you came for-" Bakura again interrupted him, shoving the black-haired boy roughly into his bedroom and onto the bed. Bakura got on top of him and savagely ripped his clothes off.
"Bakura, I think you're taking this way too fast. Maybe we should slow down. I'm not ready to do this."
"You were ready when you fucked with Ryou, weren't you?" Bakura whispered harshly into Otogi's ear. "Know where he is now? In the hospital, all because of you."
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Ryou's eyes opened and took in the sight of his hospital room. Yugi and Yami were talking somewhere close by. "Where's Bakura?"
Yugi walked over to Ryou when he heard him speak. "Oh, good morning Ryou. I don't know where Bakura is-"
Bakura rushed through the doorway then, hair even more disheveled than usual. "I'm back, all. I'm here." He sat on the bed and bent over Ryou, kissing him on the forehead. "Guess what Ryou? I'm sick now too. We'll die together."
Ryou looked into Bakura's eyes in shock and sadness. "Oh Bakura, you didn't! First off, AIDS is an immune system deficiency; you don't just die from it. You die when you catch an illness that your white blood cells just can't fight anymore, due to AIDS. Bakura, you're so strong, you probably won't even catch sick, much less a sickness you cannot fight."
"You mean AIDS alone will not kill me?"
"No."
"You mean that as you die, I'll go on living?"
Ryou nodded his head; he didn't trust his voice. Tears trickled down his face, but even through the tears, he could still see Bakura, who had his head in his hands and was crying his heart out. Ryou reached over to the other boy, and they wrapped their arms around each other, sobbing on the other's shoulder and revealing in the warmth and love the other's company gave them.
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Disclaimer: I don't own YGO! and probably never will. Also, I do not work for any AIDS awareness program, though it is important.
Anyways, please review. This was a one-shot, but if you want me to write more, I will. But you have to request it in a review or I won't know, will I?